6 Benefits of Structured Interviews: Finding the Perfect Fit in 1 Interview

All candidates must go through a standard interview process when applying for a job position. This method helps ensure that each candidate faces the same standardized set of questions, enabling their performance to be evaluated based on previous work experiences.

The structured interview process can be predetermined by establishing clear steps. Thanks to this, candidates will answer questions in a standardized way, allowing employers to predict their future employability based on experience.

What are the benefits of the structured interview method? What elements should this process include? From candidates' answers, are there any indicators that Human Resources or recruiters should use to evaluate their work ability? This article from Aniday will analyze each aspect in detail to help better understand this method.

What is the Concept of Structured Interview?

Structured Interview is an interview method that uses a standardized structure and content for all candidates applying for the same job position. Each candidate receives a standard set of questions, and their answers are based on predictions from previous experiences to estimate future job performance.

The structured interview reduces subjective variability and focuses primarily on "performance" related to work behavior. This method is characterized by a clear question sequence and provides six important benefits as follows:

Simple and Easy to Learn

Since the interview sequence and questions are predetermined, the interviewer only needs to make slight adjustments based on the candidate's personal situation. This allows interviews to be conducted in a standardized manner.

Don't Miss Questions

Pre-planning and writing interview questions help avoid missing important questions or issues that need clarification, making the job interview more comprehensive.

Fair Evaluation

Because the questions are prepared in advance and can predict the content the candidate may provide, it is easier to evaluate the quality of the candidate's answers during the interview or to conduct more in-depth questions, helping to evaluate candidate suitability fairly and objectively.

Cross Comparison

Because the question content is similar, it is easier to cross-compare candidates for the same job, thereby identifying each candidate's strengths and weaknesses.

Build a Professional Image

Using a structured interview method can help build a professional image for both the company and the interviewer.

Improve Efficiency

According to research data, the "effectiveness" coefficient of the structured interview model ranges from 0.55 to 0.70, while psychometric tests have a coefficient of about 0.53, and the assessment center method only has a coefficient of about 0.36. Furthermore, structured interviews are at least twice as effective as unstructured interviews.

Assessment by Core Competencies

Of the seven steps mentioned, the fourth step "Ask Questions" is the most time-consuming and most important step.

During the interview process, asking questions and evaluating based on core competencies is an important factor. The interviewer should identify in advance 2-3 core competencies that the job position requires, such as initiative, ability to withstand pressure, problem-solving skills, creativity, innovation, and the ability to work hard in customer care, focus on quality improvement, social communication, customer service, concern for the market and environment, teamwork skills, etc.

Then, the interviewer needs to design "positive," "negative," and "clarification" questions. These questions help accurately predict the performance behavior a candidate may exhibit in the future. This is especially important to evaluate and select suitable talent for the position to be filled.

For example, for a "Sales Associate" position, one of the core competencies might be "Customer Service." Here are questions you can ask:

Positive questions:

"As a salesperson, how do you think you provide good customer service?"

Negative question:

"Please share an experience where your customers were most dissatisfied with you? How did you handle it?"

The question asks for further clarification:

"In the process of solving the problem, what is the biggest difficulty? How to avoid it from happening next time?"

From the examples of behavior that candidates give, you can evaluate the level of positivity and negativity, based on the indicators as below:

• Score of positive behaviors and negative behaviors that the candidate's answers demonstrate.

Some examples of indicators include:

That means, after asking questions about each core function, positive and negative behavioral indicators are collected according to the behavioral instances returned by the candidates, and each functional level is recorded immediately.

Add Points to Personality Traits

Personality traits (behavioral style) are a type of behavioral attitudes and behavioral habits. In the style of action and interpersonal relationships, there are certain repetitive patterns (including behavior, thoughts, and emotions). 

Each personality trait has its own advantages and disadvantages, and there is no difference between right and wrong. If an employee's personality trait advantages are very suitable for the position, he will happily develop his abilities at work, which can be called a "suitable place"; if a strong task and correct values ​​are added, then in terms of job performance there must be excellent performance.

To study personality traits, businesses often use DISC in practice, based on William, an American psychologist. Dr. Marston (Dr. William Marston proposed four main personality traits: Dominance, Influence, Stability, and Conscientiousness.

Detailed descriptions are as follows:

• Dominance (D): People who prioritize results, action, and challenges.

• Influence (I): People who prioritize relationships, influencing others, and social activities.

• Stability (S): People who prioritize cooperation, sincerity, and support.

• Conscientiousness (C): People who prioritize quality, accuracy, and expertise.

There is no best personality trait, but no worst personality trait. There are no good or bad personality traits. It just depends on how the supervisor puts his field of dominance in the right position.

Find Out The Candidate's Goals

Finally, let's explore the candidate's "goal", which represents their reason and purpose for applying - their work motivation. How important is the way they view their work? Their goal can represent seeing the job as a simple task, a field of expertise, or a meaningful personal responsibility. All of this reflects the basic principle of "where the mind begins."

In summary, conducting talent interviews in an optimal model, combining "transparency" and "efficiency," will open important doors for organizations to effectively utilize talent and ensure selection of the right person - important for all work to go smoothly.

Hope this article from Aniday is useful to you!